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Serena Sets Aside Summer Struggles

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Serena Williams was on top of the world at Wimbledon, winning a 22nd major championship to tie Stefanie Graf’s modern era record. Less than 24 hours later, the American began feeling pain in her shoulder.

“Ironically enough, the day after the finals of Wimbledon,” she said during her US Open pre-tournament press. “I was like, how did I win?”

The injury followed her through the Emirates Airline US Open Series, forcing her withdrawal from the Rogers Cup and Western & Southern Open, with a third round loss at the Olympic tennis event in between.

“At the end of the day I knew I gave the best effort I could, and it just wasn’t enough. I just. For the, Olympics I just practiced two days before playing my match. It’s not ideal, but it was all I could do.”

Serena heads to the site of her first major triumph with less than ideal preparation, but feels stronger than yesterday as she attempts to not only break Graf’s record with a 23rd major crown, but also break the all-time US Open record with a seventh victory (currently tied with Chris Evert).

“I haven’t played a lot, I haven’t practiced a lot, but I’m just now starting to feel a little better.

“Hopefully just every day I will keep going higher.”

Still, the top seed will have to hit the ground running in Flushing; her first round is a rematch of her 2014 semifinal with Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova, who won the Olympic Gold medal in women’s doubles.

“I think I try to look at it we all have tough matches. I know she’s a good player. I’ve just got to do the best I can.”

Makarova and partner Elena Vesnina were just the third team to grab a gold medal in women’s doubles since 2000, when Serena and sister Venus Williams began their dominance of the event – winning three times overall.

“She’s a big fighter. She never really stops.

“I think one thing I think that’s pretty impressive is she gets a lot of balls back. You think she’s not super quick, but she is.”

Even with a difficult stretch, Serena bore a quiet confidence in press, knowing that her best tennis is never too far behind her.

“I did serve pretty well at Wimbledon this year. I felt like I was able to hit aces when I wanted to. So, a couple months ago, a few weeks ago.”

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Radwanska Runs Past Kvitova In New Haven

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW HAVEN, CT, USA – Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska dropped just two games in a clinical 6-1, 6-1 defeat of defending champion Petra Kvitova at the Connecticut Open. She’s set to play against No.10 seed Elina Svitolina for a chance at the title. The Ukrainian youngster powered past lucky loser Johanna Larsson 6-4, 6-2 on her way to her first Premier-level final.

Watch live action from New Haven this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“I didn’t really expect that quick matches, for sure,” Radwanska said in her post-match press conference. “Everything was working for me tonight. I was really playing great, solid tennis from the beginning till the end.

“I think I was just feeling very good on court, very confident, very loose. I was serving much better than the other days.

“Well, what can I say? I’m just so glad I could win a match in that kind of style.”

Kvitova had led Radwanska 6-4 in their overall head-to-head heading into the final four, and was looking to reach a fifth straight final in New Haven (winning three of the last four years).

But the Czech star had been dealing with a cold, which appeared to catch up with her against the World No.4, who has now won their last three meetings. Playing in her first semifinal since Stuttgart, Radwanska blitzed Kvitova in cool 79 minutes to reach her second final of the season.

Kvitova took the defeat in stride, but now faces a race against the clock to be healthy in time for the US Open.

“It’s a long time since I’ve sat here as the defeated player, right?” she joked in press. “It’s not the best, but I think that I played good tournament here. I was in the semifinal. After a tough season for me so far, it’s always great result to play good tennis.

“I’m really glad how I played here, even today. I got everything back. I was just running out with my steam. It’s been a tough three weeks for me with Rio and week off between Rio and here. So I’m really glad that I played good.

“I’m still sick. I don’t know how long it’s going to take. I’m playing Monday on US Open. I hope I will be better at that time.” 

Radwanska will play Svitolina for a first New Haven title; the Ukrainian youngster began the afternoon with a decisive win over Johanna Larsson.

“It’s a great feeling to be in the final again,” she said after the match. “It’s the first in a premier event for me, so it’s special one. I’m looking forward to this challenge.

Svitolina began the season by taking on former No.1 and Class of 2016 International Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee Justine Henin as a coaching consultant, and though she trails Radwanska 0-2 in their previous two meetings, the first was a grueling three-set affair at the Miami Open back in 2014.

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Serena Begins US Open Against Makarova

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Serena Williams has her work cut out for her to start the 2016 US Open. The top seed, aiming for a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title, plays Ekaterina Makarova in a rematch of their 2014 semifinal encounter. No.2 seed Angelique Kerber opens against Polona Hercog and is projected to have a tricky second round against either Alizé Cornet or Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

Serena leads a loaded first quarter anchored by No.5 seed and Rogers Cup champion Simona Halep. Her projected opponents also included No.29 seed and former No.1 Ana Ivanovic in the third round, and 2011 champion Samantha Stosur in the fourth round. Stosur defeated Serena in that final, one of the American’s only two losses in Flushing in the last five years.

Kerber is slated to face 2015 finalist and No.7 seed Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals, but not before getting through the likes of 2012 semifinalist Sara Errani and two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova in the third and fourth rounds.

Muguruza is seeded third following a solid week at the Western & Southern Open; the French Open champion landed in Kerber’s half of the draw, with No.8 seed Madison Keys anchoring her quarter. The first seed that the Spaniard could face is Olympic Gold medalist Monica Puig, who defeated her just two weeks ago at the Olympic tennis event. Her fourth round opponent is projected to be Bank of the West Classic champion and No.13 seed Johanna Konta.

Radwanska rounds out the Top 4 seeds and is Serena’s possible semifinal opponent. The Pole could play two-time US Open champion and former No.1 Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, and has Caroline Garcia and Timea Bacsinszky in the third and fourth rounds.

Defending champion and recently retired Flavia Pennetta was on hand to help with the draw ceremony:

“I’m relaxed and retired! Every day’s a vacation” she joked with Chris Evert.

“I’d like to be involved in tennis; ir’s my life. It’s something that I really love, and maybe I can help coach a new generation to come out of Italy. It’s something I’ve always wished to do.”

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Muguruza's New York Mindset

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Garbiñe Muguruza has had a season already defined by a breakthrough victory at the French Open, but inconsistencies elsewhere make the No.3 seed seem like something of an enigmatic factor – especially at the US Open, where she has won just one main draw match.

But the Spaniard cheerfully preached optimism at her pre-tournament press conference, emphasizing the importance of leaving last week’s disappointments behind her as she heads into the final Grand Slam of the season.

“Last year was a little bit tougher,” she said of her second round loss to future Top 10 contender Johanna Konta, “but I’m always positive when I go to a tournament. I always have, like, a new mindset. I’ve a new opportunity, and it’s a Grand Slam. I’m excited here. I love Grand Slams. I love New York. I’m looking forward to start and see what happens.”

It’s a mantra Muguruza has developed over time as she’s matured from the upstart youngster who stunned Serena Williams in the second round of Roland Garros to the seasoned champion two years later.

“More and more, it becomes clear that the Grand Slams are the tournaments where you have to kind of perform your best – or at least try. So when a Grand Slam is coming, you feel that you have to be more prepared. That’s the tournament.

“When you are younger, all the tournaments are like more equal or you’re more happy. Sometimes you really don’t know where you’re playing.

“Now over the years you realize, Hey, that’s the tournament I’ve got to be ready and hopefully win.”

Her two major finals have come on clay and grass, but the World No.3 is more than capable on hardcourts, taking impressive results from the Asian swing into a thunderous debut at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The next step for the Spaniard is to avoid the sort of lull in form seen at Wimbledon, where she fell in the second round to Jana Cepelova.

“When I went to play that match I felt, like, exhausted. Like I woke up that day like, ‘I have to play a match today. I feel tired.’ I think I learned more how to recover and concentrate my energy.

“Those matches are important ones, you know? Maybe I trained too much before or didn’t rest enough, or, I don’t know, there is something not balanced there that week.”

Balance will be key in dealing with the City That Never Sleeps, and the unrelenting traffic experienced by the players who opt to stay in the heart of the Big Apple.

“There is always traffic. There is always noise, people. I don’t know. Everything takes a lot of energy. It’s so crazy and they’ll say, ‘No, this is two blocks only!’

“I have to concentrate on time to rest, time for this, time for that – just schedule everything well. Priority is always to be rested so when you take a racquet, you know, you have energy to perform.”

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